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'Married at First Sight' star Jamie Thompson: Ending physical intimacy helped Elizabeth Bice realize it wasn't the only reason I was with her

By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 09/11/2019

Married at First Sight star Jamie Thompson is explaining why he decided to take physical intimacy off the table and how it helped resolve his relationship issues after he and wife Elizabeth Bice got into a huge fight that resulted in a four-day separation.

As shown on a recent episode of Married at First Sight's ninth season, Thompson met with Elizabeth at a restaurant to chat about their marriage following a big argument in which Thompson chose to leave their apartment.

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After spending four days away from his wife to seemingly gain his composure and gather his thoughts, Thompson suggested to Elizabeth they stop sleeping together in order to hopefully resolve conflict and minimize their fights, which were typically over sex.

On Married at First Sight: Unfiltered's September 4 episode, host Jamie Otis acknowledged she was "so impressed" Thompson was the one who wanted to take sex off the table.

"Seriously! What made you decide you want to do this?" Otis asked Thompson.

"I was tired of going in circles and having fights that were just not good for our relationship. So, this was the Hail Mary, like, hopefully this is going to get us where we need to be," Thompson explained.

Married at First Sight expert, Pastor Calvin Roberson, also made an appearance on the Unfiltered broadcast.

"Now this is interesting because Jamie has proven himself throughout the entire relationship that he wants to get closer and he wants to know more and he wants to communicate better," Pastor Cal chimed in.

"So removing sex was sort of just, like, 'Let's take this issue that we're having and move it to the side to see if we can feel out what else is going on in our world.'"

Pastor Cal then jokingly added, "And I bet you that sex didn't stay off the table that long. Did it?"

"No," Jamie confirmed with a smile. "Not really."

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Thompson and Elizabeth have been shown getting into some explosive and volatile fights, only to make up shortly afterwards.

Elizabeth has accused Thompson of wanting to make love too often and being a "sexaholic," while Thompson has vented about how his wife claims to be a sexual creature but then proves otherwise, leaving him feeling rejected.

Elizabeth has partly blamed the couple's extreme highs and lows on being passionate people.

"Chances are [the next time you slept together] was even more passionate!" Otis exclaimed on Unfiltered.

"It probably wasn't basic Caucasian sex," Pastor Cal joked.

Pastor Cal was referring to one fight Elizabeth and Thompson had this season in which she accused her husband of being a "sexaholic" and only doing "basic Caucasian sex" in the bedroom.

"We're past that! We're past that!" Thompson insisted as everyone on the set burst into laughter, including Deonna McNeill from Season 9.

"Oh my goodness!" Deonna laughed.

Otis then asked Thompson how his relationship with Elizabeth had changed after removing the physical aspect of it.

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"I think she felt a little bit more comfortable because once we talked and got deeper into it, she almost felt like I was only physically attracted to her and that was the only reason why I wanted to be with her," Thompson explained.

"So when you took the physical component off the table, it's, like, we actually had to talk."

Otis pointed out there's usually one person in a relationship who wants sex more than the other and "chances are it's the man."

Otis therefore asked Thompson why he wanted more sex.

"Is it just the physical pleasure or is it the way you connect intimately with someone?" Otis asked.

"It's like pizza!" Thompson replied, causing Pastor Cal and Deonna to crack up laughing. "I mean, why would you limit yourself?"

In addition to Thompson, Elizabeth and Deonna, Married at First Sight's currently-airing ninth season also stars Deonna's husband Gregory Okotie, Iris Caldwell and husband Keith Manley, as well as Amber Bowles and husband Matthew Gwynne.

Married at First Sight's next episode, airing September 11 on Lifetime, will feature "Decision Day" in which all four couples must decide whether they'd like to stay married or get divorced.